Late Goal Ends U.S. Bid for Place in the Olympics

El Salvador’s Lester Blanco (17) after his header tied the score at 1-1 in the first half .Credit
Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

NASHVILLE — The American players, almost to a man, sank to their knees in shock and exhaustion.

Seconds from earning the victory it needed to retain hope of qualifying for the London Olympics, the United States had victory slip through its grasp Monday night.

Thanks to the menacing creativity of Freddy Adu, the Americans were leading El Salvador by a goal late in their must-win qualifying match at LP Field.

But then, in injury time, Jaime Alas booted a long, hopeful shot that skipped once before bouncing devastatingly off the hands of goalkeeper Sean Johnson and into the goal for a 3-3 tie.

The Americans, who found themselves on the verge of elimination after a shock loss to Canada over the weekend, needed a win to advance to the semifinals of the regional qualifying tournament. A victory there would have sent them to London.

Now, their elimination from Olympic contention becomes the latest setback for a national program that continues to make strides but seems in perpetual search of global respect.

“It’s a painful moment,” said Coach Caleb Porter, clearly shaken up during his postgame news conference. “I’m sorry for the fans, and I’m sorry for U.S. Soccer, that we didn’t get the job done.”

Porter waved away the suggestion that his players were unprepared for their opponents.

“Our team was ready to play,” he said. “You saw that from the opening whistle.”

The first goal came just 61 seconds after the opening whistle, when Brek Shea turned inside one defender on the left side and surged past another before curling a cross toward the 6-yard box. There, Terrence Boyd met the ball with a slashing run and pounded it out of the air and into the net with a left-footed volley.

But the United States midfielders conceded possession far too easily after that, opening a window for El Salvador.

Photo

Midfielder Freddy Adu and the United States needed a victory for the United States to qualify for the Olympics.Credit
Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

In the 35th minute, Lester Blanco outleaped Kofi Sarkodie to glance a header inside the right post. The goal tied the score, and it seemed to cause the American defense to quiver.

Two minutes later, Alas, alone among a crowd of defenders, spun and smacked a harmless, blind shot through the penalty area. But neither the starting goalkeeper, Bill Hamid, nor any American defender stepped forward, allowing Andres Flores to slip through and fire the go-ahead goal under Hamid.

El Salvador’s first two goals came against a hobbled Hamid. About 30 minutes into the match, he appeared to hurt his ankle thwarting a breakaway. Two goals later, he limped off the field and was replaced by Johnson.

With the United States trailing at halftime, 2-1, Porter did not make any changes, a curious decision for a team in need of a lift. But the trust he showed paid off in the 65th minute.

After spinning off his man, Adu sent an incisive pass between three defenders and into space for Boyd, who made a cool, sliding finish to tie the score.

Adu, the United States captain, had probed and prodded the Salvadoran defense all match, providing spark and invention for an otherwise unimaginative attack.

Three minutes later, Adu again provided the impetus from the right side, creating space with a shimmying dribble, then floating a cross to the far side of goal. The ball hung ominously in the air before Joe Corona rose over the shoulders of Alexander Mendoza to knock it into the bottom left corner of the net.

The feeling of triumph did not last. Porter said afterward that his players were devastated. Johnson, in particular, was inconsolable in the locker room.

“I just hugged him and cried with him,” Porter said of Johnson. “What more can you do?”

Among the boisterous crowd of 7,889, American fans were outnumbered and drowned out by supporters of El Salvador. But the two contingents cheered in unison earlier in the night when Maykel Reyes scored a goal in injury time to give Cuba an unlikely tie with Canada in the night’s first match.

Beyond the odd sight of hundreds of Americans chanting: “Cuba! Cuba!” the result ensured that the winner of the second game would top Group A and earn a more favorable berth — specifically a chance to avoid Mexico — in the semifinals.

The United States team, after a wild but ultimately devastating game, will not enjoy that luxury.

Correction: March 27, 2012

A previous version of this article misstated the name of the El Salvador player that scored the team’s second goal. The player was Andres Flores, not Isidro Gutierrez.

A version of this article appears in print on March 27, 2012, on page B15 of the New York edition with the headline: Late Goal Ends U.S. Olympic Hopes. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe